The ABC of Management-------A3

Having posted two posts on The ABC of Management i realise that i need to ACCELERATE to finish off the A`s as the journey to 'Z' seems to be a long one ahead.

ACCELERATION.

The last 'A' we discussed was Aggression and to head towards our goal with Aggression and with the required Acceleration is the prerequisite for achieving the desired goal in the envisaged time frame.

Time is of the essence in most of the tasks we undertake. Without setting a time frame most things get out of hand and loose their relevance, besides increasing the chances of failure. To maintain a certain Acceleration in your Motion is of paramount importance.

No one really cares about you. What they care about are the results that you and your team deliver. That is why delivering on time- every time is important and this cannot be achieved without ACCELERATION.

Teams that prepare and implement strategies or targets in a specific time frame are aware of the Accelerations required.

Better results are better. Better results faster are even better as they reduce the chance of failure.

there are no speed limits on the road to excellence----Anon.

I have always found that the speed of the Boss is the speed of the team.--Lee Iacocca.

If we were`nt pushing ahead all the time at full speed, it would be easy to fall behind and become a mediocre company.-------Bill Gates.

ABILITY

Ability is a natural or acquired skill, talent, aptitude, intelligence, or expertise.

Ability is an important ingredient for success. If you are lucky to have some Ability naturally please identify and hone the same to your advantage. If you do not have it naturally then please acquire some ability as per your requirement.

The road to success is always under construction and only one with the ability to drive thru the rubble will reach the summit.

Understand that only the one with Ability and the right Attitude and correct Aggression will become a successful leader.

As a leader you need to have an Ability to guide people towards the goal and think optimistically when others think pessimistically, you need to have an Ability to listen intently while others are talking.

Natural abilities are natural plants, they need pruning by study---Francis Bacon.

The wind and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigator---Edward Gibbon.

ANXIETY

Anxiety is considered to be a normal reaction to stress. An optimal level of Anxiety is necessary to best complete a task or set targets, when anxiety exceeds that optimum, it results in a decline in performance.

Anxiety mostly arises from the apprehensions of failure. The easiest way to overcome Anxiety is to be fully prepared for your task.

Success happens when a prepared mind meets opportunity.

In this fast paced, performance related real world there is no place for Anxiety. I have seen many sharp witted smart executives fall behind in their careers because of Anxiety.

If you recall the 'A' in AIM (see The ABC of Management--Chapter A) and are fully aware of your present situation then planning your targets in an achievable manner will insulate you from Anxiety.

Preparing well and well in advance for your performance will help you stay clear of the pit falls of Anxiety.

Most of the times Anxiety is the result of our own imaginations. Because of self doubts about our own capacity to deal with problems we get hyper and worry ourselves into Anxiety.

I earnestly urge you to avoid getting worked up, because you will not be able to overcome any problems, if they are real, in your stressful state of mind.

Please take things as they come, Analyze them and take corrective steps.

" Cross your bridges when you come to them "

Indulge in positive visualization rather then dancing with your devils.

Anxiety is the fear of one's self.----- Wilhelm Stekel.

Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow.--- Swedish Proverb.

Real difference can be overcome, it is only the imaginary ones that are unconquerable.--- Theodore N. Vail

WISHING ALL OF YOU A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR---2010.

The ABC of Management.........A2

Continuing with the Alphabet A.

I want to Assume that we are on the right track so far, thus my next A would be

ASSUMPTION.

Assumptions are dangerous when accepted as reality without thorough examination of the facts.
Although Assumptions are usefull in providing "Plan B" or "What if" Scenarios, and, for providing basis of action, to simulate different realities or possible situations---I still strongly believe

"Assumption is the mother of all Screw Ups".

Most Assumptions are made while drawing out "Business Plans" for a new venture where the architect of the plan most probably extrapolates from his past experience-which in the first place may or may not be relevant.He then forgets that assumptions are assumptions-A deadly recipe for a major Screw Up.One tends to forget the assumptions and starts to live the assumptions as a truth and alas believing in this "truth" may hurt the venture drastically.

One of the most deadly Assumptions i have come across-both in big and small businesse-is that the entrepreneur assumes(wrongly ofcourse)that motion or activity is growth,or worse still,is Success.

I, am presently running a small business of manufacturing Diamond Jewellery, and the most common assumption made by people in my line of business is that the customers expect you to have a factory,to have an expensive office,to entertain them lavishly.
Believe me, excellence in Delivery,in Quality,in Service,in Transparency and advantage in Price have overcome all the above assumptions or handicaps. Yes i have to sell a little bit harder but it is not impossible-not even difficult.

The way to minimise bad business decisions is to minimise bad assumptions.The best way to minimise bad assumptions is to stay constantly aware through constant analysis.(the next A)

Never Assume-- it makes an ASS of U and ME----Anon

You must stick to your conviction,but be ready to abandon your Assumptions.---Denis waitly.

ANALYSIS.

Analysis is the process of breaking down a complex topic into smaller parts to gain better understanding of it.
It is the examination and evaluation of relevant information to select the best course of action from among various available alternatives.

Business Analysis is the dicipline of identifying business needs and determining solutions to business problems.
The science of Analysis deals with how an entity (i.e. Business)arrives at an optimal or realistic decision based on existing data.
Analysis includes statistical analysis of past performance,with an eye to predicting improved business performance in the future.

There are number of techniques available for business analysis but the most widely used and one of my favourite techniques is the SWOT Analysis . I call SWOT as the quick fix remedy to various questions. I have used SWOT in business and also in my personal domain.

SWOT ANALYSIS.
Is used to help focus activities into areas of Strengths and the Opportunities arising from these strength. It is also used to identify the weaknesses and the threats arising out of such weaknesses
STRENGTHS: What are the advantages? What is currently done well.
WEAKNESS : What could be improved? What is done badly.
OPPORUNITIES : What good opportunities face the organisation.
THREATS : What obstacles face the organisation.

SWOT Analysis is an extremly useful tool for understanding the current situation in business and for decision making.

We need to continously and reqularly analyise our strategy, our growth trajectory, and our assumptions which were factored into our business plan. Analyise the result based on data and take corrective measures.

Get the habit of Analysis-Analysis will in time enable synthesis to become your habit of mind---Frank Lloyd Wright.


Having identified our AIM and developed the correct ATTITUDE after ANNALYSING our ASSUMPTIONS, I am sure we are AWARE of our present situation and our INTENT.We now know where we want to reach in the given time frame. Now is the perfect time to set in MOTION our journey to reach the goal in an AGGRESSIVE manner.

AGGRESSION

By AGGRESSION i only mean Goal oriented,planned and controlled Aggression.

Like most behaviours aggression can be examined in terms of its ability to help in achieving the desired result.

IBM urges its managers to cultivate aggressive and capable management. They promote Aggression in providing timely and excellent customer care.

Aggressive fighting for the right is the noblest sport the world affords.--Theodore Roosevelt.
Aggressive play is a vital asset of the worlds greatest golfers. However its even more important to the average player. Attack this game in a bold,confident,and determined way,and you will make a giant leap toward realising your full potential as a player.----Greg Norman.

The ABC of Management

Management in my opinion is a Scientific Art.
Yes, Scientific art. It would be safe to say that the art of management has to be learned in a scientific way. You may have the advantage of learning the science in a "B" school or learn it the hard way through practical experience.Like all knowledge "The Science of Management" also needs to be learnt step by step.

Because i am attempting to turn things on their head i will try to decipher "Management" by the alphabet and thats why i call this post the ABC of management.
In my first post on management i start with the alphabet "A".
To start any journey the prerequisite would be "AIM".
I would define AIM not merely as a goal but rather as a journey.

A= Awarness of your present position or stage in your life.
I= Intention of where you want to reach in a given time frame.
M= Motion or how you intend to achieve that goal.

For me AIM is not only the fish eye of "Arjun" but the entire journey.
Every day what you do, what you choose, what you think is what you eventually become. Your integrity is your destiny

like Oscar Wilde says The aim of life is self development. To realise ones nature perfectly-- that is what each one of us is here for.

Decide what your AIM in life is. Once all the three alphabets have been defined you can say you are on the road. Best of Luck.


The advantage of emotions (Art) is that they lead us astray, and the advantage of science is that it is not emotional.--Oscar Wilde.


ATTITUDE:
Attitude is the main component for success.Without the correct attitude in the right measure, success becomes a rather difficult journey.

Definition:(businessdictionery.com)

Predisposition or a tendency to respond positively or negatively towards a certain idea, object, person, or situation. Attitude influences an individual's choice of action, and responses to challenges, incentives, and rewards (together called stimuli). Four major components of attitude are (1) Affective: emotions or feelings. (2) Cognitive: belief or opinions held consciously. (3) Conative: inclination for action. (4) Evaluative: positive or negative response to stimuli.

Attitude "is a way of looking at life". Your definition of attitude at work determines your career altitude.
Achieving success in your career isnt just about brains,talent or networking-its about attitude-about your definition of attitude.
Throughout my life i have adopted the attitude of belief. Belief in my self,belief that nothing is impossible,belief that it can be done.

You may have a well defined AIM as discussed above,but if you do not define your attitude your entire journey may get derailed,delayed or strenous.

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference-Winston Churchill

The only disability in life is a bad attitude. ~Scott Hamilton

AWARENESS.

Awareness changes everything, and only when you become aware can you change anything. The key is to pay 100% attention to every thing around you.
Be aware of your present position (see AIM above), be aware of your subject, product,business to the minutest detail. I firmly believe that God lies in the details.Only when you are fully aware of things,can you make a difference and change things to suit you.
Be Aware of your strengths, more importantly be aware of your weaknesses and work on them to overcome them. If you cannot, learn to hide them and move around them.
Be Aware of your competition as much you are aware of your own company or product etc.Be Aware of your customer, your employees,their needs and requirements.In short BE AWARE of every small thing atleast in your immediate environment.
To do things differently (Jara Hatke) we need to be aware of ourself and of the situation.
Awareness ofcourse will come slowly as it is a long process it needs to be honed by regular practice. The idea is to cultivate this habit of observation and analyze the obeservation on a regular basis to become aware.

“What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself.” —Abraham Maslow
“The awareness of our own strength makes us modest.” -Paul Cezanne



Other A's to follow soon.


Attire
Attention
Assumption
Acceleration
Anxiety
Aggresion

not neccessarily in the same order.
Happiness

CHILD LABOUR---JEWELLERY INDUSTRY

I am a jewellery manufacturer and new to the world of Blogging. I want to understand the reason for a ban on child labour specially in the jewellery industry.
From olden days there used to be a system of Gurukul where the children were sent to live with the guru and for many years live and learn various aspects of life and also get educated and learnt some or the other trade. Children of kings and warriors would learn the art of warfare while children of brahmins would learn about the shastras and mantras etc. With the advent of formal education this system lost out and presently is almost non extinct.
Presently the Government has banned child labour and i am an absolute firm believer that this is absolutely correct and perfect regulation and children should not be made to slave and work in subhuman conditions therby stunting their overall growth. Although let us accept that the government has done meager little for providing effective primary education at the village level and forget about secondary and higher education the general scenario is rather grim. In the absence of basic ammenities like education and primary health care what will a child for example in rural bengal learn or where does his future take him will he remain an uneducated and unskilled labourer all his life.
Please understand that we are studying an example of poor peasants who just cannot afford any sort of paid education and are solely dependent on the facilities granted by the government.
What does the parent who has dreams of seeing their child get education or atleast get some skill to enable him/her to earn more then they ever earned in their life. in the present scenario they can probably just fret and frown and watch their dreams slip out of their hands cause there is no education available at their village level and ofcourse they cannot afford to send their child to the town nor can they afford training etc for them. They just wait for the next natural disaster to probably end their life (sic!!! but they are probably too proud to end their lives in sucide).
They cannot even send their child to Mumbai to learn the art of making jewellery lest their child gets arrested by over zealous policeman who will follow the book to the "T" in case of this young child labourer.
Now please explain to me all you educated, socially aware, Human right Activists, and the so called learned fraternity what does the parent in that small Bengal village do.
Why cant his quest for eduacation i.e learning a trade be treated as education why should it be termed child labour. Is there any other option available to the child?? Is there any facility provided by the government who has imposed a ban on his education (it may be primitive, but are their lives in the village not primitive) say to learn or become effectively skilled??
And please trust me when i say that this is education, i belong to the jewellery community and am in close contact with various gold smiths (Babus) none of them ever brings any child or employs any child in his workshop to take advantage of the child all of them without exception employ or rather take the child on board only so that one day maybe in about 3 to 4 years he becomes a trained and fully skilled goldsmith earning atleast about 10000/- pm. With some entrepenual skills he may even become the next Babu and start earning as high as the sky.
Some times i get a Backache and the highly placed super specialist in my neighbourhood super speciality hospital advices me to sleep on the floor "Go back to your roots" he advices me and viola my Backache is cured. Do we need to sometimes in certain aspects go back to the primitive if its going to cure us of some aches. Turn your view point on its head and think but please lie on the floor close to mother earth and THINK.